Elon Musk's new venture: brains tied to computers

By Park Si-soo

Elon Musk wants to merge computers with human brains to help people keep up with machines.

According to reports, the founder and chief executive of Tesla and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. has launched another company called Neuralink Corp. Neuralink is pursuing what Musk calls “neural lace” technology, implanting tiny brain electrodes that may one day upload and download thoughts. Details of the project remain unknown. Musk said in a tweet that more details were coming “in about a week.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, Musk has taken an active role setting up the California-based company and may play a significant leadership role. Max Hodak is said to be Neuralink’s co-founder.

The “neural lace” is described as an implant or an appendage that would be attached to the brain and provide a way for brains to interact with devices, or otherwise augment human intelligence.

Speaking at the Code Conference in 2016, Musk said to think of the arrangement this way: “You have your limbic system, the cortex, and then a digital layer, sort of a third layer above the cortex that could work well and symbiotically with you.”

Though the lace would interact directly with a person's brain, Musk said implanting it might not require extensive surgery, saying it could be injected into veins.